Author Archive

We’re reaching out to you to ask for your congregation’s participation in MCC’s Easter Offering Campaign for Global Justice! As we’ve seen in the past year, this work is more important now than ever before.

Your church’s participation in the Easter Offering Campaign for Global Justice will accomplish amazing things in the lives of oppressed people and advance the cause of justice around the globe.

Beginning next week and continuing through Pentecost, I’ll share details of this year’s project with you and tell you about opportunities for your congregation to interact with representatives from the Global Justice Institute.

The Global Justice Institute joins with activists in Seoul to demand recognition of LGBTQ people.

Sponsor meetings in Kenya for affirming clergy working to create safe space for LGBTQI people;

Fund a safe house in Nigeria and safe scattered site housing in Kenya for Queer refugees;

Open the Asylum Seekers Assistance Program as the 1st full service ministry serving LGBTQI asylum seekers in New York City, offering legal, therapeutic and spiritual support, as well as peer mentorship;

Participate in the International Consultation on Church and Homophobia at Jakarta Theological Seminary, producing a joint declaration on sexuality and human equality mentorship;

…and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.

Genesis 9:8-17

Carnival just ended a week ago in countries with a Christian majority around the world. Carnival is time of flamboyance before the austere season of Lent. During carnival colors, good food and dance are outside in the streets of many cities. This year, one of the most famous carnivals in the world, Rio de Janeiro, was overshadowed by the murder of Claudia da Silva, 25, a TMF known as Piu. Piu, member of the famous samba school Beija-Flor (humming bird in Portuguese), was killed in a country where one gay, trans, or bisexual person is killed approximately every 28 hours. The torture and killing of Piu was posted on social media. The death happened in a nearby favela, Morro da Mina, controlled by drug lords. The masquerade, colors, and dance cannot hide the crude reality of poverty, drugs, and violence in Rio de Janeiro.

We are living in a complicated world where violence, inequality, prejudice, and hate are escalating in scandalous ways. Confronting that reality, we ask ourselves: where is hope?

Mark’s gospel was written in a time of political convulsion and social instability. The destruction of the temple in Jerusalem and the defeat of Israel’s liberation movements by the Roman military structure created a big crisis and made people ask where hope was. At the same time, Jesus lived in the midst of social turmoil that produced several messianic movements that pretended to answer the lack of hope of their times. The apocalyptic tone of Mark is a reminder that hopelessness will end: “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near.” But where is that kingdom? Probably, Jesus knew that it was a difficult question to answer, and maybe because of that, and before his ministry started, he confronted the evil inside him in the loneliness of the wilderness. Jesus’ call was to help people to discover God’s face in the midst of poverty and violence unmasking the easy answers of the religious and political establishments. It is very interesting that in one of his first healing miracles, a man with an unclean spirit at the synagogue, Jesus did not destroy the spirit but instead ordained the spirit to be silenced and to come out of the man.

In the narrative of Genesis, we discover an amazing story of God making the following commitment: “…and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.” This is not a promise that no more bad things will happen on our planet. Maybe it is a divine promise to control the easy answers to be almighty and instead proclaim to all of us: you are my daughters / sons, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.

And people answer to that call, like Aki Ra, who was a very young boy when he was chosen by the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia to become a child soldier. He laid thousands of mines and fought for the Khmer Rouge until 1983. He received landmine clearance training with the United Nations and heard his true calling: you are my son, the beloved; with you, I am well pleased. Without any demining tools, he started to illegally clear and defuse mines in the areas he had fought with nothing but a knife, preventing the deaths and serious injuries of many people, particularly children.

Raped at the age of six and orphaned by the age of nine, Betty Makoni somehow managed to stay strong and survive and hear the voice: you are my daughter, the beloved; with you, I am well pleased. In 1999, she founded the Girl Child Network, in response to Zimbabwe’s pandemic of child sexual abuse, especially that of young girls. Her organization spread over 35 of Zimbabwe’s 58 districts. To date, Betty has saved more than 7,000 (some estimates say as many as 35,000) girls from abuse, child labor, forced marriages, human trafficking, and sexual assault.

Research done in 2011 indicates that 90% of transvestite and transsexual prostitutes in the streets of Rio de Janeiro would like to be included in the formal labor market. They also hear God’s voice: you are my daughters, the beloved; with you, I am well pleased. And Projeto Damas emerged. They look to prepare these women with professional and technical competence, strengthening their dignity to return them to the world of jobs.

In a certain way during Lent, the Christian world, from the most fundamentalist groups to the Vatican, generates speeches of God that masquerade the kingdom…a kingdom that is in the midst of our deepest contradictions, that is as fragile as a child soldier, as a transgender woman, or as a raped woman. God is calling us today: “you are my daughters / sons, the beloved; with you I am well pleased.” We should go to the wilderness to confront the evil inside us and then return to find God’s face in the midst of conflict and contradictions “…and the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh.”

This is an exciting position at the office of Pan African ILGA. In coordination with the Board of PAI and with the Executive Director of ILGA, the post holder will be responsible for the management of PAI based in Johannesburg.

Relationships with colleagues:

ILGA values creative, flexible and inclusive approaches to work that have been achieved through collective working and participation of staff at various levels in the organization. Staff members have line management arrangements and specific key relationships which are detailed in their job descriptions, but staff also need to work collaboratively with colleagues in order to achieve agreed targets and outcomes to required standards.

Main Tasks

Managing all administrative aspects of the PAI office, including staff supervision, compliance with relevant legislation and relationship to service providers;

Ensuring that the legal registration of PAI in South Africa is always compliant.

Overseeing, jointly with the PAI Board, the finances of the regional organisation, implementing all related tasks,

Developing annual work plans, in cooperation with the PAI Board and in line with the PAI Strategic Plan, and implement their execution;

and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father

which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

Matthew 6:6,16-17, King James Bible

Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly:

Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders,

gather the children, and those that suck the breasts:

let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.

Joel 2:15-16, King James Bible

What have I not already done “in secret!” What have I not already practiced in my room, the doors shut, in order to not be seen by others! These words in the readings ring bells in me that didn’t proclaim a God who was pleased with what I was doing there. Instead, the “Father who sees everything” was more a threatening one, the “reward” to expect also.

For some, Ash Wednesday in this context is an opportunity to “regret hard enough to escape the deserved punishment.” The days before, people in the Cologne carnival had done a lot in public what you usually do in private. Sure enough, most of them enjoyed most of it, but now all the internalized fears strike back, along with rational thoughts coming back when the party is over. “What have I done! Is this just a cold, or am I infected? I had better stay in my chamber!”

There are better ways to handle “public sharing” of “private things” than by drugs and regrets. A more responsible handling can develop where we stop hiding from ourselves what we tend to hide from others and from a “punishing God.”

On the political agenda, coming out of the closet is a key issue. Also, on a personal level: Being someone different in public than in private will likely cause problems for our well-being in general. (We don’t need a punishing God for this to happen.)
Some trans people might prefer to keep a big part from our past “in secret”: What the public might read out of it is too far from who we “really” are.

The appeal to “anoint thine head, and wash thy face” reminds me of a two-edged discussion about the “rights” of LGBT-people to fight for equal rights. It’s a common argument to point out: “Look, we are as normal as you are!” Those still looking as practicing something “unnormal” then hear the same advice from their communities as from “friendly” churches: “Do whatever you like, but we don’t want to know!” (By the way, NOT looking “normal” just for the sake of it is still depending on the “normal” look.)
Again, trans people often have specific concerns about “looking normal.”

For Christians within some LGBT-communities and political movements, there is a further aspect: In the midst of people who so often had bad experiences with church, it might sometimes feel appropiate (or tempting?) to pray only “in secret.”

So, with all this in my mind, Joel’s call to “gather all people” and to “get out of the closet” sounds quite attractive to me!

But does Jesus really want me to keep silent about who I am and what I do? No! Jesus exactly supports the idea to not look and act in the fear of “What do they think of me now?”

Do I want to look like them, mainly because of what they think of me?
Do I join their habits, mainly because of what they think of me?

With Jesus, spiritual acts can be a chance to free us from (also religious) lookism and mimics:

1. By praying and fasting we can turn from voices and “treasures” that so often bind us rather than heal us.

2. We can do an “inner check” and ask ourselves: Why do I pray and fast now? Who needs to take notice in order to give it a value?

Spiritual practices are not meant to meet unhealthy expectations of church-goers. Rather, spiritual practices can help us to grow healthy and loving relationships with God, with ourselves, and with each other. Along with this, our practices regarding a/sexuality and gender-performance will experience a similar healing of lookism and mimics.

The diversity within MCC therefore is a real blessing. Who should I regard as “standard” to copy looks and behaviour? What a precious encouragement to look and act in truthful ways!

It’s your decision if you want to join fasting this lent or not. Step into a rewarding experience!

In these Stewardship Lists in which we recognize and congratulate MCC congregations for their achievements and leadership in generous giving and attendance. Below you will find 4 lists, each of which spotlights a particular aspect of Leadership in Stewardship for the year to date, as of Dec 2014.

These lists are prepared from deposit records and data supplied by churches in the monthly assessment reports they have submitted to MCC’s administrative offices. All currency amounts are in US$ and data is current as of 4 Feb 2015

We have a tendency to view Muslims a bit like Anabaptists or the Amish – as a specific coherent group that signs up to a very constrained set of beliefs, and therefore if groups of Anabaptists commit enormities we would immediately start asking questions about the responsibilities of the other Anabaptists to constrain them, and just what is it about Anabaptists that lead them into such appalling acts.

They are not like this.

1.57 billion people belong to the various strands and interpretations of Islam. 23% of the world’s population, mostly in the areas of the world with the fastest growing populations; we live with them and have done for centuries. Muslim peoples get aggrieved for the same reasons we do, they resent historic and present injustices like we do, and they have wingnuts and dangerous loons like we do. For many however, their faith is the one trustworthy thing in their lives that they feel is worth defending/fighting for, as they have so often been let down by politicians and dictators, by military strongmen and charlatans.

We know ourselves how easy it is to justify our fears and hatreds with faith – Jim Crow, slavery, two world wars and umpteen colonial empires were all underpinned with a certainty that God stood foursquare with our actions. The crusaders who marched from medieval Europe to the Middle East to reconquer the Holy Land went adorned with badges of their faith, and built and enforced Christianity as they progressed. The horrors visited on the indigenous peoples of South and Central America by the Spanish and Portuguese were committed with God upon their lips, and the place names of every village and town bear the mark of their ‘Christianity’.

In today’s world the enormities of the Lord’s Resistance Army in East Central Africa don’t make us kvetch about the intrinsic wickedness of Christianity, and we don’t feel responsible to apologize to all non-Christians for these abominable acts. Uganda threatens death on our gay brethren in God’s name and articles are not widely written about how Christianity is an ‘evil’ faith. As Christians we talk about establishing ‘the Kingdom’ over all the world – we know what that means, but to an outsider it may sound rather like a desire to forcibly convert the world and usher in the Kingdom of God, or Jesus (in Arabic this translate as the ‘Caliphate of Allah, or Mohammed’).

In all these cases we understand that Christianity is amazingly diverse, and is used or abused according to the soul of the adherent.

So let’s start by looking at language and culture. Arabic sounds strange and threatening to us (it shouldn’t). Disaffected, aggrieved young people have behaved in similar ways across cultural boundaries. Our faith is not represented by anyone other than ourselves – any fool can hide behind scripture for their own ends, and whenever I hear of jihad (it means struggle, pure and simple) I think of the German troops marching off to invade Belgium in 1914 being blessed by Lutheran and Catholic bishops and being assured that ‘God would go with them’ (Allah yusallmak!). Another expression Christians use all the time is ‘God is good’, in Arabic is Allahu Akbar. ‘Allah’ is merely the Arabic word for the God of Abraham, the God of the Jews, our God – not some strange deity. Wahhabi Islam (the hardcore, puritanical form sponsored by our close allies, the Saudis) seems draconian to us with its burqa’s and banning of pictures and representations, but until the 20th Century Scottish Presbyterians banned pictures as ‘graven images’ and the habit of wearing a veil was taken from Christian Byzantium when it was occupied by early armies sweeping out of Arabia.

Sufi Moslems are the sophisticated heirs of the mystic tradition in Islam – think dervishes and Ottoman Turks, think the sublime poet and thinker Rumi. Shi’ite Moslems have a deeply complex system of beliefs and symbology, reminiscent in some ways to certain branches of Roman Catholicism.

Salafist Sunni fanatics remind me very much of the Westborough Baptist Church, or the Nigerian Pentecostal churches where everything is black and white, and violence is always an option. They are also the Puritans, desperate for comprehensive black and white answers to incomplete, grey shaded problems.

We diminish ourselves (and our faith) when we allow the criminality and ignorance of a handful of deeply misguided young men to color our relations with a quarter of humanity. That these men were possibly aggrieved that their country (at the time of writing Algeria looks likely) was occupied, colonized and brutalized by France for a century or so, and feeling that the core of their faith was being glibly insulted by a group of Godless pseudo intellectuals living in an envelope of privilege and never having to see the results of their words and images. This not an excuse, it does however point to an explanation. They did the easy, trite, brutish and infantile thing. They murdered in cold blood and they spouted almost embarrassingly naïve slogans about ‘avenging the prophet’.

They don’t appear to understand their own faith, but they are not alone in this. To them it is going to be hard to explain why this massacre is monstrously different from 100,000+ civilians killed in Iraq since the beginning of the war. They may not understand why their Palestinian brethren are living in refugee camps fifty years after their homes were occupied by Israel. They may not understand why white lives are more valuable than brown ones.

Almighty God, pour your grace upon the perpetrators, upon the hateful, and those that engender hatred. Ease the misery of the bereaved – the bereaved of the journalists and cartoonists, and the devastated mothers of sons now dead. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Rejoice with us!

We are excited to announce seven new Elders have been appointed to serve for a five-year term beginning 1 June of this year.

The Council of Elders has vetted and approved the appointees listed below, and the Governing Board has approved the appointments.

Several years ago, when Regions were disbanded and in anticipation of a Moderator transition, we began working on a plan that would clarify the role and responsibilities of members of the Council of Elders. Previously, Elders were automatically full-time staff and members of the Senior Leadership Team. Now, all Elders are volunteers who, as a Council with the Moderator, offer spiritual and pastoral support and leadership to the churches, pastors, and people of MCC.

We hope that appointing the new Elders to a five-year term will give the new Moderator the ability to continuously re-shape the Council for the good of MCC, and over time, give more persons the opportunity to serve.

About sixty people were originally recommended to us from the lay delegates and clergy of MCC. We believe this was a strong and healthy response from our people.

We invited twelve people to apply for Elder, all of whom had been recommended multiple times by clergy or lay leaders. Of those twelve, ten applied, and seven were appointed.

At the beginning of the Elder selection process, we had expected to appoint no more than five new Elders. Instead, we chose seven, based on the strength of their applications and believing that having more people in this role will help the Council of Elders to be even more responsive to the needs of our churches and our people.

In reviewing the applications, we looked for several things and chose those who:

Already have a deep and demonstrable spirituality, call, and commitment

Represent well the faith, values, and vision of MCC, and are loyal to our denomination

Will be an asset to and able to transfer their allegiance to the next Moderator

Embody a variety of gifts, creativity, competence, and the kind of diversity we seek

Are trustworthy and will not come with their own agendas, but will be able to serve all of the people and churches of MCC with integrity

Will be able to blend well as a team

Together, with our current Elders, will enjoy serving and integrating into a new, energized Council of Elders

We are confident that our seven appointees, who have the unanimous support of our current Elders, meet this criteria without exception.

We worked hard to balance many of the considerations of diversity with our commitment to choose those who our people have already recommended, and who they would easily recognize as Elders.

Among those appointed are four people who serve as pastor or have served as pastor for program-sized or larger churches; one who is the pastor of a family-sized church; one lay person; three men (two are cisgender, one is a trans-man); and one who is bisexual. The seven represent three countries and three language groups. Two are denominational staff.

The Role of the General Conference:

Elders occupy a special and historic place in the hearts of MCCers world-wide and provide spiritual and pastoral leadership to a global MCC. Because the Elder Appointees will serve on the Council of Elders, which is a discernment body for the Moderator, MCC By-laws require that the General Conference affirm the decision of the Moderator and Council of Elders. This is not an election; rather, it is an opportunity for clergy and lay delegates to voice their support on behalf of MCCers around the world.

In a couple of weeks, the Governing Board will officially announce the Special General Conference Business Forums, scheduled for 9 and 11 April, and virtual voting on 6 and 7 May. Save the dates, and stay tuned for more information!

The seven new Elders being presented to the General Conference for affirmation are:

Rev. Ines-Paul Baumann: Pastor of MCC Cologne, Germany, and the youngest nominee, in the 35-49 age bracket. Rev. Baumann is also the first German Elder and the first non-conforming FTM GenderQueer Elder appointee.

Rev. Pat Bumgardner: Longtime pastor of MCC New York, Executive Director and Founder of the Global Justice Institute, and founder of Sylvia’s Place for homeless queer youth.

Rev. Tony Freeman: Former pastor of MCC San Diego; currently on the Senior Leadership Team as the Director of the Office of Church Life and Health. Rev. Freeman served on the Governing Board until 2013.

Rev. Dwayne Johnson: Former pastor of MCC Richmond in Virginia and of Resurrection MCC in Houston, current pastor of MCC Washington, D.C. Rev. Johnson has served our clergy formation process in many ways and is a lifetime member of the Academy of Spiritual Formation.

Nancy Maxwell, J.D., LL.M.: Professor of Law at Washburn University and one of three leaders of our LEAD team that oversees the program globally. Prof. Maxwell has considerable global experience and teaches courses on human rights and the law. She is the first lay woman to be appointed as Elder.

Rev. Margarita Sánchez De León: The first Elder nominee of Caribbean African descent. She is a pastor, published theologian and an activist, currently living in Portugal. Rev. De León currently serves on staff of the Office of Emerging Ministries as the Program Coordinator for Iberoamerica and is the Academic Dean of the Garner Institute for Iberoamerica Leadership Formation.

Rev. Dr. Candace Shultis: Former pastor of MCC Washington, D.C., and current pastor of King of Peace MCC in St. Petersburg, Florida, Rev. Shultis has served the denomination in many capacities, including on the Governing Board. She is currently chairing the Commission on the MCC Statement of Faith.

Their bios and photos are included below.

Rejoice with me that we have come to this place after years of preparation! Please pray for the Elder appointees, their families and churches as we move through this time together.

Rev. Dr. Nancy Wilson

Global Moderator, Metropolitan Community Churches

My name is Ines-Paul Baumann.

I live in Cologne/Germany/Europe/World/Creation/God.

I spend most of my time being Parent and Partner, pastoring in MCC Cologne and earning money as Webdeveloper.

My firstname tries to express that I no longer care what gender/s I’m supposed to form.

I came to MCC in 2004 after my queercore-punkrock-band had split. The General Conference 2010 in Acapulco/Mexico was my first experience with the global fellowship outside Europe. I was ordained in 2012.

I love discussions AND decisions. I love questions and questioning. I love to “collect data” before I make up my mind. I appreciate a diversity of lifestyles, abilities, views and traditions. I can share clearness regarding a common ground AND openness regarding it’s different ways of practical meaning.

As an elder I would like to serve WITH and FOR rather than OVER people. I’d like to proceed with healing by seeing the sainthood not only of those aspects (religions, traditions, opinions, people and self-experiences) that parts of Christianities outside and inside of ourselves already acknowledge as saint. I feel a bit uneasy with the unclear boundaries we have regarding the judicial, legislative and executive power for elders in MCC.

But I share enthusiasm for transforming ourselves as we transform our worlds. I’m committed to explore and be a voice for our understanding(s) of church, faith and spirituality – for and with LGBTIQ*- communities, but what we have to offer is so relevant for so many inside and outside of MCC and Christendom also!

Thank you for taking me into account for the search for additional Elders. God bless all applicants and your considerations and decisions!

The Rev. Pat Bumgardner is currently the Senior Pastor of Metropolitan Community Church of New York, where she has served in various capacities for the past 33 years. Rev. Pat is also the Executive Director of the Global Justice Institute, traveling, writing and speaking on behalf of MCC world-wide, addressing a range of social justice issues, forging on-the-ground partnerships, and supporting efforts to promote an inclusive human rights agenda. She chairs the Moderator’s Public Policy Team and holds a seat on the Council for Global Equality.

The Founder of The Sylvia Rivera Memorial Food Pantry at MCCNY and Sylvia’s Place, she has become a leading visionary in the quest of the Queer community to build coalitions and deal with hunger and homelessness, as well as homophobia and other social prejudices. Named for the late civil rights leader, Sylvia Rivera, Sylvia’s Place serves as New York City’s emergency shelter dedicated to providing safe space, food, medical and psychological care, and spiritual support for homeless LGBT youth.

Educated in the Roman Catholic tradition, Rev. Pat has become a sought-after speaker and preacher across denominational divides, and has been the recipient of numerous awards, serving as the 2011 New York City Pride Grand Marshal.

Her current focus involves work with activists in Costa Rica, East Africa, Brazil, Mexico and Eastern Europe, working with asylum seekers in New York City, and developing presentations that address human trafficking as a Queer rights issue.

The proud grandparent of 4 year old Joshua, she lives in the West Village of New York City with her spouse of 28 years, Mary Jane Gibney, and their puppy, Lily.

Rev. Tony Freeman

Since my initial licensure in 1995 as clergy in MCC, I have served in a variety of leadership roles in the local church (including all of the different church “sizes”) and at the denominational level in both volunteer and staff roles. My local church experience includes staff clergy, executive pastor, interim pastor and senior pastor. Denominationally, I served as Chair of the Strategic Growth Initiative, Chair of the Structure Review Team, and as Vice Chair of the Governing Board and I’m currently serving as the Director of Church Life and Health (and member of the senior leadership team). My MCC experience includes visiting and working with our churches around the world (United States, Philippines, Australia, New Zealand, Europe, Canada and Mexico). I have also presented over 20 seminars and workshops at MCC conferences

I live in Tucson, Arizona USA with my thirteen year old dog, Pollie. Although I’m frequently travelling on weekends, I do enjoy attending Water of Life MCC when I’m home.

I believe that being an Elder in MCC means you are called to be a servant- leader that embodies the core values of our denomination in ways that inspire and empower people and our churches to achieve their greatest potential. I’m grateful for this opportunity to share in this ministry and pray that God will bless us mightily as we together pursue our mission to transform lives and our world.

Rev. Dwayne Johnson

Rev. Dwayne Johnson came to MCC for the first time in 1978. At that time he was a member of the Church of Nazarene, a conservative evangelical denomination. MCC opened new windows personally and theologically and he became a member of MCC of Greater Kansas City in 1983. He became a Transfer Clergy at MCC of Washington, DC in 1990. His experiences include serving as Senior Pastor of MCC Richmond, Virginia (1992-96); Senior Pastor of Resurrection, MCC, Houston, Texas (1996-2009); and currently Senior Pastor of MCC of Washington, D.C., USA.

His denominational work includes service on various committees and working groups, including service as Chair of Clergy Credentialing and Concerns for the South Central District. He has preached at Leadership, District, and Regional Conferences and at General Conference.

Dwayne has a passion for outreach, justice and equality that is grounded in spiritual development. His ecumenical work includes serving with the Coalition for Mutual Respect from 1996-2009, including a 2006 peace mission to Israel with Muslim, Jewish and Christian educators and clergy. Currently he serves by mayoral appointment on the Mayor’s Interfaith Council in Washington, D.C., USA.

In January 2009 he became a member of the Academy for Spiritual Formation, studying with Grace Imathiu, Margaret Guenther, Glenn Hinson and other leaders in the Spiritual Formation movement.

Born in Lubbock, Texas, USA he has also lived in California, Kansas, Missouri, and Washington State. He is a graduate of Mid-America Nazarene University in Olathe, Kansas, majoring in Communications, Psychology and English and earned his M.Div. from Nazarene Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri, USA.

Dwayne envisions MCC as a denomination called to embody the strength of global diversity, power in global partnerships, and an unwavering voice for global equality.

Nancy G. Maxwell* holds dual membership at MCC of Topeka and the Church of the Trinity, Sarasota, Florida. She began attending MCC of Topeka in 1990 and recently joined the Church of the Trinity, Sarasota, Florida.

Nancy is a co-coordinator of the MCC lay leader certificate program, Laity Empowered for Active Discipleship (LEAD). She has attended the Moderator’s Leadership Mentoring Retreat, stood for election to the Governing Board in 2010, is a certified facilitator for Creating a Life that Matters, completed her LEAD certificate in 2013, attended the Size, Worship, Programming, and Stewardship Summits, and has presented on The Partnership between a Church’s Board of Directors and the Ministry Staff; The Large Church; and The Legal Aspects of LGBT Families. She recently completed a course in pastoral care at the Pacific School of Religion.

In July Nancy will retire from Washburn University School of Law, Topeka, KS, where she has taught Family Law, Sexuality and the Law, Criminal Law, Feminist Legal Theory and Alternative Dispute Resolution. She has served as the law school’s Co-Director of the International and Comparative Law Center, teaching comparative law in London, UK, Utrecht, NL, and Barbados. Nancy has presented academic papers in numerous countries; her legal research includes same-sex marriage, co-parent adoption, parentage issues, mediation, and legal education. Nancy holds a B.A. in psychology and a law degree (J.D.) from the University of North Dakota, and a master’s of law (LL.M.) degree in law teaching from Harvard. She is licensed to practice law in North Dakota and the federal Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit; she is a trained child custody and visitation mediator, and implemented a student-run dispute resolution program in Topeka, Kansas, public school system.

Some of the skills and gifts Nancy brings to the role of elder include pastoral care, spiritual discernment, teaching/facilitating, and administration.

* Rev. Elder Cecilia Eggleston was a lay person at the time of her election as a Regional Elder and later entered the process of ordination as MCC clergy.

Rev. Margarita Sánchez De León, originally from Puerto Rico and living in Lisbon, Portugal, has been part of MCC since 1996. She was co-pastor of MCC Cristo Sanador in San Juan, Puerto Rico at the founding stage and Senior Pastor from 2006 to 2008. She was Executive Director of Amnesty International, Section of Puerto Rico and as has wide experience working with and taking action for human rights and LGBT rights through grassroots organizations and social movements. When moving to London, UK, she was pastor in the East London and South London MCC congregations from 2009 to 2012. At denominational level, she is part of Theologies Team since 2010 and works as Program Coordinator for Iberoamerica –Office of Emerging Ministries (in close collaboration with Rev. Elder Héctor Gutiérrez) and is the Academic Dean of the “Darlene Garner Institute for Ibero-American Leadership Formation – OFLD.

One of her skills and passions is to help to build alliances and create networks between organizations, groups and people. She is a person of dialogue that embraces diversity and multiculturalism as a way of life. She enjoys encouraging people to understand their own strengths as a gift. She has curiosity for life and a passion for people.

She has a BA in Art and Literature from the University of Puerto Rico, an MA in Religion from the Evangelical Seminary of Puerto Rico and Courses for Doctor of Philosophy program from the Graduate Theological Foundation. She speaks Spanish, English and Portuguese.

She is married with Frida Kruijt and they are mothers of Oshadi and Siboney, girl and boy twins of five years old.

Rev. Dr. Candace R. Shultis grew up in Kingston, NY and Pittsfield, MA. She earned her baccalaureate degree from the University of Massachusetts (Amherst), B.B.A., in 1973, her master’s and her doctorate at Wesley Theological Seminary, Washington, DC, M.Div., 1980 and D. Min., 2004. Her doctoral dissertation is entitled: The Creation of a More Diverse Congregation: A History of the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, DC. From November, 1973 through August, 1976, she served as a disbursing officer in the United States Marine Corps. She first attended the Metropolitan Community Church of Washington, DC in 1979. Candace served as the Associate Pastor of MCC Washington from 1983 until 1995 when she was elected Pastor. She was called and elected to be the Pastor at King of Peace MCC, St. Petersburg, FL in December, 2007.

Candace has served in a number of denominational capacities including as Assistant District Coordinator (Mid-Atlantic District), as a member and then chair of the Clergy Credentials and Concerns Committee and as a member of the Governing Board. She presently serves as the Chair of the Commission on the Statement of Faith. She has preached in churches and at events from New Haven CT to Sydney Australia.

Candace brings the spiritual gifts of pastor, administrator, stewardship, leadership and discernment. She is a gifted preacher and teacher. She loves people in all the ways they show up and has a passion for the growth of churches and people.

She and her partner of 22 years, Barbara, also enjoy the company of their two dachshunds: Wendy, and Mister Redd (Really Extraordinary Dachshund Dog).